Clifford Orwin argues in a Globe and Mail op-ed that both Republicans and Democrats are behaving hypocritically in their fight over filling the Supreme Court vacancy before the election. In today’s Letters section, I concisely defend the Democrats’ approach: It does not seem like hypocrisy for U.S. Senate Democrats to
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Song of the Watermelon: Globe and Mail Letter
Clifford Orwin argues in a Globe and Mail op-ed that both Republicans and Democrats are behaving hypocritically in their fight over filling the Supreme Court vacancy before the election. In today’s Letters section, I concisely defend the Democrats’ approach: It does not seem like hypocrisy for U.S. Senate Democrats to
Continue readingSusan on the Soapbox: Albertans Aren’t Feeling the Love
Last week Ms Soapbox wrote an article for CBC in which she called out the hypocrisy of the energy industry and various conservatives who want the Alberta government to impose temporary industry-wide production cuts to prop up oil prices. Isn’t government meddling in the free market a big no-no?
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Trudeau plays to the home crowd.
Surprise, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau played it safe the other day. He appointed Quebec’s Richard Wagner as chief justice of the Supreme Court. We Canadians have had little chance to hear from Wagner prior to this appointment. We have had no real chance to assess what his leadership might mean.
Continue readingBabel-on-the-Bay: Is Trudeau’s elitism working?
It is getting to the point where even the Conservative opposition in parliament is noticing. They are starting to take verbal jabs at the prime minister’s elitist nature. It is starting small but it will grow. Canada’s poster boy prime minister can ill afford to have his elitist tendencies to
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Will city folk continue to be Alberta’s second class citizens?
Amid debate about adopting a voting system to replace the egregiously undemocratic first-past-the-post, another offense against fair voting is sometimes overlooked. In Alberta, an opportunity to redress that particular sin is underway. In accordance with the Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission Act, a commission has been established to set the constituency
Continue readingViews from the Beltline: Will city folk continue to be Alberta’s second class citizens?
Amid debate about adopting a voting system to replace the egregiously undemocratic first-past-the-post, another offense against fair voting is sometimes overlooked. In Alberta, an opportunity to redress that particular sin is underway. In accordance with the Alberta Electoral Boundaries Commission Act, a commission has been established to set the constituency
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Democratic reform is the real change that must come from Canadian election
If Canadians don’t see a commitment for major change from Monday’s winner, the nastiest and most divisive election in our history, by far, will be for naught. Change is never easy and the results Read more…
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: New column day
Here, summarizing these posts on the dangers of setting up past advocacy as a barrier to a place in public life. For further reading…– Again, Sean Fine’s report on the Cons’ general ideological screening for judges is here. – Glenn Kauth reports on Chief Justice Beverly McLachlin’s lack of concern
Continue readingAccidental Deliberations: On opinion evidence
There’s plenty of reason for concern about some of the views put forward by the Cons’ latest Supreme Court appointment. But keeping those concerns in mind, I’ll argue that we should be careful about putting too much emphasis on Justice Russell Brown’s past blog posts, rather than the more important
Continue readingHarper is not serious about senate reform
Stephen Harper is not serious about senate reform. Despite his announcement last week that he plans to stop filling vacancies in the upper chamber until the senate is reformed, his track record on the issue is very poor. Stephen Harper, cc: pmwebphotos (Flickr.com) Harper was first elected to parliament in 1993
Continue readingWise Law Blog: Medical Marijuana Law Goes to Canada’s High Court (No Pun Intended)
Today, the Supreme Court of Canada will decide whether Canadians have the constitutional right to consume medically-prescribed marijuana in a manner other than smoking.Currently, it’s only legal for medical marijuana users to intake dried-marijuana plants. They can’t add it to baked goods or anything else, without opening themselves up to
Continue readingEh Types: Mr. Harper’s Veiled Threats
What do you call a solution without a problem? If you’re Stephen Harper, you call it an election strategy. The Conservative government has been proposing solutions in desperate need of problems. That they do so at all, and the manner in which they do is ironically a big problem. Last
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: This is Going To Be A War-Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan
Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan Burnaby Mayor Derek Corrigan has gone to court challenging Kinder Morgan’s efforts to proceed contrary to Burnaby’s bylaws. If the court upholds the by-laws then Kinder Morgan will have to cease their work and leave the area. This is going to be a war-says Corrigan.
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: Tsilhqot’in Nation Gives Canada a New Chance to Do It Right
Step by step the Canada’s Supreme Court is humanizing Canada in spite of our mean spirited Prime Minister and our chequered past treatment of First Nations peoples, culture and values. This Mitchell Anderson Opinion piece ran in the Tyee recently and is well worth your attention. Grand Chief Stewart Phillip
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: First Nations ‘ecstatic’ over historic Supreme Court ruling
Richard Hughes- Blogger The days of PM Steve Harper running roughshod over First Nations peoples, their land and culture may well have come to an abrupt end! Of course the mistreatment and short-changing preceded Steve but he has done more than his share and now, finally it appears that some
Continue readingCowichan Conversations: BCTF Is On Strike-President Jim Iker- Streaming Video -Uncut
Richard HughesPolitical Blogger The Christy Clark BC Liberal Government’s refusal to bargain in good faith and to refuse to abide by Supreme Court Rulings is a deliberate attack against education, teachers and the public system of education. It affects us all because it is an attack against a civilized educated society.
Continue readingMaple-Flavoured Politics: The Harper Government: Doesn’t Play Well With Others
Is it me or do you get the sense that if a primary school teacher were grading the “Harper Government,” as it like to call itself, the phrase “doesn’t play well with others” would figure prominently on the report card? Of course, the opposition is the opposition so you would
Continue readingDon’t give up on the Senate, Mr. Harper
It wouldn’t be surprising if Prime Minister Harper was in a bit of a funk over the Supreme Court’s decision on the Senate this week. The Court unanimously rejected his government’s attempt to transform the Senate into an elected body and to set term limits, saying that such basic changes
Continue readingIs Harper Americanizing our Supreme Court?
When I first heard about Toronto lawyer Rocco Galati’s challenge of the federal government’s appointment of Justice Marc Nadon to the Supreme Court, I had little interest, thinking this was just some esoteric legal matter that had little meaning to us laymen. But the more it I learn about it, particularly listening
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